The wheel balancing apparatus of this invention relates generally to balancing devices. More specifically the wheel balancing apparatus relates to static balancing devices for balancing vehicle wheels.
While spin-balancing devices are available, these devices, which spin the wheel rapidly about its axle and employ stroboscopic or other apparatus to detect wobbles indicative of wheel unbalance, are rather complex and much too expensive for a private individual or a typical small garage or service station to acquire and use easily. Static balancing devices are available which are much less expensive. These devices generally employ a central spindle upon which the wheel is mounted. The spindle is pivotally mounted at a central point such that the spindle and wheel mounted thereon may tilt together in any direction about the central point. A bubble-type level is mounted on the spindle and indicates the direction of tilt; whereupon, weights are attached to the rim of the wheel such that the bubble returns to the center of the level, indicating that the wheel has been balanced. Balancers of this type, however, are not particularly accurate and fail to give any idea of the degree of unbalance. Furthermore, during normal employment of such balancers, a large number of weights must often be affixed, at numerous places along the wheel rim, to finally balance the wheel. It remains much more desirable and efficient to employ one weight, or two weights each of which are affixed at a different location, to balance the wheel.
Some static balancers are available which mount the central spindle upon a horizontal shaft or two horizontally disposed shafts which are aligned along a horizontal axis. Although such balancers are more accurate than bubble-type balancers, they are still structurally somewhat complex.